Final Windows Phone 7 developer tools shipping on September 16th

Microsoft has just announced that the final version of the Windows Phone 7 developer tools will ship on September 16th and that the current tools have already been downloaded more than 300,000 times (CTP and Beta). Many developer are waiting for the final tools mainly because of the current lack of crucial controls like Panorama, Pivot, List, Bing Maps etc ( Developers have to currently build their own controls or use open-source versions available on the web) and the presence of several bugs that make development a little bit tricky.

Of course, it’s not just the big names in development who are going to bring great titles to Windows Phone 7 customers. There are many multiples more of lesser known developers who are looking to be in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Large or small, all developers will have equal opportunity to capitalize on the first mover advantage of having their apps or games ready at launch. In order to do that, there are a few things developers will need to do:

1.Register at the marketplace today2.Finish you application or game using the Beta tools3.Download the final Windows Phone Developer Tools when they are released on September 16th4.Recompile your app or game using the final tools5.Have your XAP ready for ingestion into the marketplace in early October when it opens

The final tools will likely have some minor breaking changes from the Beta tools, so developers may have to fix some bugs that arise. The final tools will also include several highly requested Silverlight controls which will make it even easier for developers to deliver high quality Windows Phone 7 experiences. Also in the September 16th final release, the panorama, pivot and Bing maps controls will all be available to drop into applications.